The Charnwood couple have been left devastated after the camper van in which they planned to travel around Australia went up in flames.

Mr and Mrs Gibson were just about to embark on the trip in the van they'd scrimped and saved to design and build themselves for three years.

A pest controller, Mr Gibson had intended the van to be their retirement plan.

The camper van was a prototype, which they had hoped to sell on their travels and through a website, kicking off a new career.

But the night before they were due to leave, the ute and camper van was stolen from their front yard.

Mr Gibson had been fiddling with the new HF radio when his wife called him in for dinner.

"I had about 10 minutes left of work and it would have all been ready to go. I shut the door, I didn't think to lock it," Mr Gibson said.

The family had only just finished eating when they heard a large bang from the front yard.

They ran outside to see the result of their years of hard work speeding away down the street.

"My son raced down the street to catch them. I raced inside to grab my daughter's car keys, my wife rang the police and we drove around looking for it," Mr Gibson said.

They drove out to Pierces Creek and near Kambah Pools, hoping they could catch the thieves taking the four-wheel-drive for a joy ride.

But when the police eventually called, their hopes of recovering it unscathed were destroyed.

The thieves had abandoned the ute and camper van in Fraser, allegedly setting it on fire.

The flaming van had crashed into a backyard about two kilometres from the Gibsons' home and exploded after the gas bottles inside ignited.

Mr Gibson's eyes welled up with tears as he recalled seeing the wrecked ruin.

"They'd burnt it to the ground. There was nothing salvageable at all. We struggled for three years to get it where it was and they'd destroyed not only the camper and the ute, but everything we'd gathered for it over the years," Mr Gibson said.

Gone were presents from their children, all their winter clothes and the money they'd saved for their great adventure.

An ACT Policing spokeswoman confirmed investigations were ongoing and no arrests had been made.

The process of starting again is daunting, but Mr Gibson said no matter how many years it took, they're determined to get back on the road.

"We'll continue on the plan we had, we'll go back to the drawing board. It might take two or three years but I've learnt by past experiences it's no use getting angry," Mr Gibson said.

What Mr Gibson and his wife are unaware of is a crowdfunding campaign by their children to help their parents rebuild.

Daughter Nicole Gibson said they began the fundraising campaign because so many people wanted to help their parents once they'd heard about the fire.

"Our parents are people who would help anyone out, as everybody who knows them already knows they would take the shirt of their backs to keep another warm," she said.

"Our parents will hate that we have started this campaign as there are so many others out there that need help [but] as they are such kind-hearted, giving people they wanted to help give back to them."

Another daughter, Tara Lee Gibson said: "To have all their hard work and plans to enjoy their later years that they worked towards over many years, to just have it all ruined in a matter of minutes is devastating.

"They have put in all the hard work and helped us and we want to return the love and support they have given us and given other people."

You can help get the Gibsons back on the road by heading to: https://www.gofundme.com/2abycujk